If You Can't See Where it Keeps it's Brain
by EmmaWeaslette
Summary: Sequel to The Woman with Two Souls Harry and Niki have survived their first year at Hogwarts, complete with a showdown with Voldemort. Now, just as they're heading back to school, Dobby the House-Elf shows up with a warning. Harry and Niki disregard him with annoyance, but when strange things begin happening at Hogwarts, they're going to wish they had listened.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, guys. This is Brooke Potter. I just wanted to say that I'm also on as Ashlyn Elizabeth, and these stories are being transferred to here from there. Just thought I'd tell you!**

"Dadfoot, can Ron and Hermione come to stay?" Niki asked.

"For how long?" Sirius replied.

"Um... a few days?" Niki hesitantly offered.

"I'm okay with it." Sirius replied. "Ron will be in Harry's bedroom, though."

"Well, duh!" Niki said. "Should I use Floo Powder?"

"Is Hermione's house connected?" Remus asked, entering the room.

"Um, about that..." Niki said.

"So you might want to ask Harry if you can borrow Hedwig." Remus said.

"No, its not that, it's just that I..." Niki trailed off.

"Niki, what did you do?" Remus asked.

"Nothing! I just had Mr. Weasley connect Hermione's house!" Niki insisted.

"Fine. Use the Floo." Remus sighed, trying to hide his amusment. "Would you want to see if they could stay a week? Then you can have them here on your birthday."

"Okay!" Niki squealed in excitement, running to the fireplace.

"You know, Nicole, you probably should have asked me before you invited my friends over." Harry said, grinning as he entered.

"Do you want Ron and Hermione over for our birthday?" Niki asked.

"Of course! Why would you even have to ask that?" Harry replied.

"Because you told me to." Niki said in a tone that suggested reasoning with a child around three years old.

"True." Harry grinned. "Well, come on. Let's go to the Burrow first."

"Hey, Dadfoot!" Niki yelled over her shoulder. "Can I see if Ginny can come too?"

"Sure, why not?" Sirius shouted back.

"Thank!" Niki turned back to the fireplace and threw down the powder. Stepping into the flames, she shouted, "The Burrow!" and was wisked away into green flames.

When the spinning finally stopped, she stepped out of the fireplace into the Weasley's kitchen.

"Ron! Ginny! Mrs. Weasley!" she called, walking into the next room.

"Niki!" four voices cried, and Ron, Ginny, Fred and George came running down the stairs. "Harry!" the same four voices shouted again.

"Oh, Nicole and Harry, dears!" Mrs. Weasley said, entering the living room.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley." Niki said, smiling. "I was just wondering if Ronald and Ginny could come stay at my house for a week, and celebrate mine and Harry's birthday."

"Of course they can!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"What, not us?" Fred and George asked in unison, mocking offence.

"Oh, I'm sure that Moony and Padfoot would be okay with it if these two came, too." Harry said.

"Okay, sure." Niki turned back to Mrs. Weasley. "Can they come, too?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Mum!" Fred said. "You're letting Ron and Ginny go!"

"Well, alright." Mrs. Weasley consented. "But I want you to Floo back every night! Ron and Ginny can sleep over, but you two had better be back here by eleven every night!"

"Can they sleep on the night of our birthday?" Niki asked. "We'll all sleep downstairs in the living room, and have a sort of party."

"Very well." Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Well, begone with you! Don't you have some chaos to be causing?"

"Thanks!" the group of children called before they Flooed back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

"Okay, I'm gonna go invite Hermione." Niki said, once all six of them were in the living room. "You five stay here."

Niki was back from Hermione's house much quicker, and all seven kids rushed upstairs to Niki's room.

"Wow, in all the times I've been here, I've never been in your room." Ron, Fred and George said at the same time.

"Well, I used to hate Ron, and Moomy and Dadfoot didn't want boys in my bedroom." Niki explained.

"And they're okay with it now?" Ron asked.

"I don't think they know." Niki said, frowning faintly. She quickly smiled again. "But it's fine. Now," she pulled out parchment and a quill and set it on her desk, moving her small black dog, Prongs, out of the way. "We have some mischief to plan."

 **A/N: Well, here's the first chapter of the second book of the Nicole Potter series! How do you like it?**


	2. Chapter 2

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Okay, Fred, you know what you need to do?" Niki asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yes, of course I do." Fred said./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""We're the biggest mischief-makers Hogwarts ever saw." George added./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, tell that to Sirius and Remus." Harry snorted. Fred and George looked highly offended. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You mean we're em style="box-sizing: border-box;"not /emthe biggest mischief-makers Hogwarts ever saw?" Fred asked in a horrified tone./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Did you ever blow up a toilet?" Harry asked. "Did you create the Maurader's Map, and then manage to get it confiscated by Filch, who managed to get it stolen?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No, we didn't, but that's on our bucket- wait a minute." George said. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Your em style="box-sizing: border-box;"guardians /emcreated the Maurader's Map?" Fred said. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah." Harry said./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Remus is Moony and Sirius is Padfoot. Peter Pettigrew, the one who betrayed them, was Wormtail. And our dad was Prongs." Niki explained. "How do you know about the Maurader's Map?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh my, Fred. We've revealed our secret." George said, and from his pocket he revealed a worn piece of parchment./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""MY MAP!" came a cry from the doorway. The group of seven whipped around and saw Sirius standing there. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""MOONY! THE WEASLEY TWINS HAVE THE MAP!" he bellowed over his shoulder. There was a crash, and Remus appeared in the doorway beside Sirius. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""How did you guys find that?" he asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""We stole it from Filch." Fred explained. "Harry and Niki-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Were just telling their lovely audience that you guys-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Are messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." Fred finished./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""How did you figure out how to open it?" Sirius asked in wonder, taking the Map from George and staring at it, almost reverently. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The Twins looked at each other. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Trial and Error," Fred began./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""And a lot of insults." George finished. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Going both ways." Fred added./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""We got pretty mad, you see," George continued./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""And we may have sworn a little." Fred supplied./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""But this Map was quite helpful in building our vocabulary." George said. "But never from Mr. Moony." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, I'm going to have to reclaim my Map from you two." Sirius said. "We had to re-create it for Harry and Niki, and they told us they used it a lot last year, but that one isn't nearly as detailed as this one." He turned to Niki, and held it out with both hands. "Nicole, since Harry has the newer one, which we will be updating, I bequeath the original Marauder's Map to you." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""So cool!" Niki, Harry, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny said. Hermione gave a disapproving sniff, but nobody paid that any attention. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p 


	3. Chapter 3

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dadfoot!" Niki called down the stairs./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yes, Niki?" Sirius called back./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and I are going to do some, em style="box-sizing: border-box;"livening up, /emup here, okay?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, sure Niki. Just don't do anything that's damaging." Sirius replied, clearly not paying attention./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""'K, thanks!" Niki yelled, and starting hurrying back to her room, before she remembered something else, and ran back to the stairs. "Do you know where Kreacher is?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Just call him, and she should come." Remus said from directly behind Niki, causing her to yell and fall down the stairs. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Nik!" Remus called in alarm, drawing all six other kids out of the bedroom, which obviously caused chaos. Niki stood up unsteadily. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I'm fine!" she announced. As she started heading up the stairs, a house-elf appeared next to her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Kreacher, there you are!" Sirius yelled. "Well, come downstairs and help clean up!" Sirius strode back into the kitchen. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You're not Kreacher." Harry observed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I is Dobby, sir. Dobby the House-Elf." the elf squeaked. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, do you know where Kreacher is?" Ron asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dobby comes with a warning, missus and sirs. Dobby is here to warn Harry Potter and Nicole Potter not to return to Hogwarts School this year!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why not?" Niki asked, startled. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""There is a plot to make terrible things happen!" Dobby said. "My masters-" he broke off, and suddenly ran at the wall and banged his head against it repeatedly. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dobby!" Harry yelled, grabbing him and dragging him away from the wall. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Thank you, Harry Potter, sir." Dobby said, his eyes dazed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters, sir." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dobby, we're going back to Hogwarts." Niki said. Dobby suddenly siezed her arm./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Then Dobby will go to plan B." he said, and disappeared. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki blinked in the sudden sunlight, and realized that she was on a tropical island. Harry suddenly appeared behind her. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Where are we?" he asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I think we're on an island." Niki replied./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, duh!" Harry said. "I meant, what island are we on?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Whichever island Dobby wanted to take us to." Niki explained. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, now is not the time!" Harry admonished. "We need to get back home! We can't wait for someone to find us. If we do, it would take ages. What would we eat or drink? We'd starve to death!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Just as Harry finished speaking, piles of fresh food appeared next to them in crates, boxes, and bags./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I think Dobby thought of that." Niki muttered, and kicked a crate. The only result this elicited was a stabbing pain in her foot. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Mr. Black! Mr. Lupin!" Hermione called, racing down the stairs. The others followed right behind her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hermione, what's wrong?" Remus asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Some stinking house-elf showed up and disappeared with Harry and Niki!" Fred exclaimed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"George decided he needed to continue what Fred had started. "Yeah, like, what the -" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""George!" Hermione and Ginny shouted at the same time./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""-was that all about?" George finished. Sirius snickered, while Remus looked reproachful./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""George, don't ever repeat that in this household." Remus said sternly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yes, sir." George said loudly, over Fred and Ron's laughter. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""So, do you know who's elf it was?" Sirius asked. Fred and Ron quieted. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""He said his name was Dobby." Ginny said. /p 


	4. Chapter 4

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Stupid Dobby!" Niki said, pacing furiously around the perimeter of their tiny island. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""That's not going to get Padfoot here any faster, Niki." Harry was laying on some leaves, eating some of the fruit Dobby had left them./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, it won't hurt!" Niki snapped, and resumed pacing. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, come on Niki." Harry said. "Just relax. They'll get here eventually."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""They're never gonna find us!" Niki exclaimed. "We're off on some tiny island that's smaller than my bedroom, somewhere in the middle of the ocean! I bet nobody but Dobby's ever even heard of this place!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, they'll find us." Harry said cinfidently. "There are tracking spells you know."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki sighed and flopped down next to Harry./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Remus knocked on the door to Malfoy Manor./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yes?" Lucius said, opening the door. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""May we speak with your elf?" Remus asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why?" Lucius responded./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Just let us talk to the stupid elf!" Sirius exclaimed. Remus kicked him. "I mean, may we speak with your elf?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""His name is Dobby, correct?" Remus asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yes." Lucius said, glaring suspiciously at Remus./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, Harry and Niki have gone missing, and their friends say that Dobby disapparated with them."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Fine, come in." Lucius growled. "Dobby!" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Dobby timidly entered the hall from the kitchen. "Yes, sirs?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""These men say you kidnapped Harry and Nicole Potter." Lucius snarled at him. "Where are they?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dobby is not knowing, sir." Dobby said, rocking backward and forward on his heels. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Tell the truth!" Lucius yelled. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dobby is taking them to island in Bermuda." Dobby mumbled towards the floor. "It is for their own good." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Go get them!" Lucius demanded. Dobby disapparated. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"With a crack, Dobby appeared on the little island. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Dobby!" the twins said at the same time, leaping to their feet./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Master has ordered Dobby to take missus and sir home." Dobby mumbled. He once again grabbed onto them, and disapparated. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry and Niki appeared with Dobby in the main hall of Malfoy Manor. Remus, Sirius, Lucius, and even Draco were waiting. Much to Niki's curiosity, Draco seemed to grow slightly red at the sight of them. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""There. Your charges are returned." Lucius said. "Begone." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Remus took Niki's hand, and Sirius Harry's, and they disapparated, going home at last. /p 


	5. Chapter 5

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What do you think Dobby meant by, 'a plot to make terrible things happen'?" Niki asked as Remus helped her pack./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I don't know, but don't think to much about it." Remus replied. He held up a small black book. "What's this?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""That's my, uh, diary." Niki said. "I found it in my jeans yesterday." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Do you know where it came from?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, uh, Ron gave it to me." Niki improvised wildly. "I just lost it, then I found it in my jeans pocket."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Remus gave her a suspicious look. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you Nicole?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No, Moomy." Niki said, figeting with a stray strand of her robes./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Okay then." Remus said, still staring at her. "I trust you Niki. I'm going to go make sure Sirius and Harry are actually packing."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"He left the room./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki picked up the small book from the bed and opened it. Rummaging around for a minute, she took out a quill and ink./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Tom, Moomy almost found you. I told him Ron Weasley gave you to me. Is that a good idea?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Well, Nicole, that's up to you. /strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Should I tell him?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Wouldn't that get you in trouble?/strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Well, yeah, but I've never lied to him before. It feels wrong./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"I wouldn't advise it. He'd likely confinscate this diary, and send it to the Ministry to find out what made it so I can speak with you./strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"What does make it so you can speak with me?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"I left a memory of myself in these pages, so I could go back and revisit my sixteen-year-old self. I'm not entirely sure how it works myself. Then when I was only seventeen the diary was stolen from me./strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Where are you now?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"I died quite a while ago. I could tell when my mortal self perished./strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I'm sorry to hear that. /em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki!" Remus called up the stairs. "Time to go!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I have to go. We can talk again once I'm at Hogwarts./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Farewell, Nicole./strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Please call me Niki./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Farewell, Niki./strong/p 


	6. Chapter 6

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I see Hogwarts." Ron announced, looking out the window. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""We should get changed." Hermione agreed, standing up. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"As Niki searched through her trunk for her robes, the diary fell out. Before she could pick it up, Harry swooped in./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What's this?" he asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""My diary." Niki replied./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, yeah, Moony said that Ron gave it to you for your birthday." Harry remembered./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I never gave her that." Ron said./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What?" Harry asked. "Niki, I heard Moony tell Padfoot that you said Ron gave it to you."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I just told you I didn't!" Ron exclaimed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki," Hermione said, joining the conversation. "What's going on?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Nothing!" Niki said. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Is this what you were writing in last night?" Harry asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry opened the diary. Ron and Hermione looked over his shoulder. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, there's nothing in this."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Um..."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry picked up a quill and dropped an ink blot on the pages. It shimmered for a moment, then disappeared. Harry jumped, then started writing./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline;"Hello?/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Hello. With whom do I have the pleasure of writing?/strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline;"Harry Potter./span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"You must be Niki's brother. She's told me quite a bit about you./strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki yanked the diary out of Harry's hands and snapped it closed. "Snoop!" she shouted. "That's my personal diary!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, who's in there." Hermione asked, staring at the diary. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Nobody! It's just a spell." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""That's quite an advanced spell." Hermione said. "A second year shouldn't know that."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Fine. I found it in my pocket after we left the Malfoy's. Nothing was written in it, so I thought it would make a nice diary. Then Tom started writing back, so now I have someone to talk to that won't report everything I say to Moomy and Dadfoot!" Niki started sounding a little hysterical. She yanked her robes on and stalked out of the compartment./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"I just realized how easily Niki get's hysterical. /strong/p 


	7. Chapter 7

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, I'm sorry we attacked you about the diary." Hermione whispered. "We just want to be sure that you'll be safe."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I'm trying to listen to the Sorting." Niki said, watching Creevey, Colin get sorted. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You're still mad at us, aren't you." Harry sighed, more as a statement than a question. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yes, I am." Niki said. "That was my diary. I told you it was my diary. If the words stayed visible, you would have read what I wrote." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""We're sorry, okay?" Ron exclaimed. "Can you just move on already?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Shut up, Ronald." Niki snapped. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Ron, don't talk to my sister like that." Harry said. "Niki, don't talk to my friend like that."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Shut up, Harry." Niki said, trying to sound as she had when she'd snapped at Ron, but the effect was ruined by the fact that she was fighting a grin and her voice was shaking with laughter./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry grinned back at her. "See, you just can't stay mad at us."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki sighed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"As Niki was eating, she became aware that someone was staring at the back of her head. Turning around, she was blinded by a bright flash. When her vision returned a few moments later, she realized that it was that Colin kid, holding a camera./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hello!" he said, extending a hand. "I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor, too."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hi, Colin." Niki said. As she spoke, the developed photograph came sliding out of the bottom of the camera. Colin showed it to her. Harry was in it, too./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Will you sign it?" Colin asked. "Both of you?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No." Niki and Harry said firmly at the same time. At that moment, Dumbledore stood up aspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"nd/spanspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" everyone fell silent./span /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Welcome back to Hogwarts!" he shouted warmly. "I have a few start of term notices to address. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that magic in the corridors is forbidden, as is the forest on the grounds. We would also like to welcome out new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Lockhart." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Hermione looked faint. "Oh, I didn't know he's teaching here! He's written nearly the entire booklist! /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I met him in Diagon Alley." Harry and Niki said at the same time. "He's an idiot." /p 


	8. Chapter 8

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts." Lockhart said, grinning and winking cheekily at them. "And now, allow me to introduce your new teacher. Me." He gave a strange sort of laughter, but stopped when nobody joined him. "Now, it is my job to arm you against the dark forces out in this world. But first, who would care to introduce me?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"A small girl in the front raised her hand. "You're Professor Lockhart," /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Professor Peabrain." Niki whispered to Ron and Harry. They both snorted with laughter./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""- Order of Merlin, third class-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Order of Moron, first class,"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Member of the Dark Force Defense League-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Member of the Dorkiest Attitude League,"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""And five time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award." the girl finished./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Five time winner of the Most Incredible Idiot award." Niki finished. Ron and Harry couldn't hold in their laughter anymore, and it rang loudly throughout the classroom. Several of the girls towards the front glared reproachfully at them, but most of the boys seemed to think it was funny. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Ah, Harry and Nicole Potter." Lockhart said. Niki gave him a very dirty look. "How would you like to help with my demostration?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No, thank you." Harry said, trying to sound polite./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Nicole?" Lockhart asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki," Harry whispered, nudging her. "He's asking you a question."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were talking to me." Niki lied, looking up at Lockhart. "I heard you ask Nicole, not Niki."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Isn't your name Nicole?" Lockhart asked, looking confusedly from Niki to Harry./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No, my name is Niki." Niki said stubbornly. "If you call me Nicole, then I'll assume you're talking to someone else. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, then, Niki," Lockhart said. "Would you please come help with my demostration?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No." Niki said. "And you shouldn't set those pixies loose. That would cause absolute chaos." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"And she spent the rest of the class ignoring Lockhart, refusing to take the quiz, charming the cage full of pixies so that it wouldn't open, (causing great embarrassment for Lockhart and great amusement for the class) and doodling in her notebook./p 


	9. Chapter 9

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"It was Halloween, and Niki was glad she wasn't Harry, Ron, or Hermione. They had promised Nick they'd go to his deathday party. Luckily, Niki had been in the hospital wing when that exchange had happened, so she didn't have to go. If you're wondering why she was in the hospital wing, let's just say that her and Draco both have a month of detentions. She planned to hang out with Ginny during the feast./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""See you, guys!" Niki said smirking as she waved to the trio. They all sent her very dirty looks, and continued down to the dungeons./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki turned into the Great Hall, blinked, and found herself in the bathroom. Red paint was spilled all down her front./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What?" she muttered aloud./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"After cleaning herself up, she hurried up to Gryffindor Tower. Inexplicably, two hours had passed since she'd said goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What's happened?" she asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Mrs. Norris has been petrified." Hermione said. "Filch and Snape think Harry did it."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why?" Niki asked, confused./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Because they found him at the scene." Ron said. "And on the wall in red paint, someone wrote "Enemies of the Heir, Beware."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Um, in, red paint?" Niki squeaked. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah..." Harry said. "Why do you look so scared?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Um, because, it's scary that someone's attacking people, isn't it?" Niki said, still in that high, squeaky voice. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, yes, it is..." Hermione said slowly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I think I'll go to bed." Niki said, voice slightly lower. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Wait." Ron said. Everyone looked at him. "Ginny told me that you never met her for dinner, which ended about an hour ago. Where have you been?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Um, I don't know." Niki said, edging towards the staircase to the girls's dorms. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You don't know?" Harry asked skeptically./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""No, I don't." Niki said. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to go." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"She hurried up the stairs to the girl's dorms and snatched Tom's diary out of her trunk. Laying across her bed, she started writing./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Tom, it's Halloween. A cat was attacked, and I've got paint all down my front. I can't remember where I was./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"That is disturbing, isn't it? /strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Should I tell someone?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"I wouldn't advise it. It would likely get you sent to St. Mungo's, and I would get confinscated./strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I'm scared, Tom./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"Relax. It's fine. Isn't it late, outside of me dark realm?/strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Well, yeah... I think I'll go to bed. Goodnight Tom./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Goodnight, style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-/strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki put the diary away and climbed into bed just as Hermione entered./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, what is going on?" Hermione asked. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I don't know." Niki said into her pillow./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You're very pale." Hermione observed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, I'm startled." Niki said. "Can I go to sleep now?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Sure. Goodnight, Niki."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""'Night." /p 


	10. Chapter 10

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki was completely devastated. Everyone thought that Harry was the heir of Slytherin, all because he could speak Parseltongue. And she thought that was a completely stupid reason. She must have lost Gryffindor more than one hundred points from all the times she hexed someone for muttering about Harry, or hurrying away from him in fear. Her favorite person to hex was Malfoy, who, of course, deserved it every time. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, come on." Harry said when Niki had once again fallen into a brooding silence. "It's not so bad. They'll catch whoever's doing it, and they'll be expelled. Then life will go back to normal."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki looked up at him. "But," she stopped "Nevermind. I'm going to bed." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki hurried up the stairs and threw herself onto the bed. It had been weeks since the first attack, and Collin had shown up in the Hospital Wing, petrified like Mrs. Norris. And after Lockhart's stupid Dueling Club, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick had also been petrified. And Niki knew who was doing it. Every time someone was petrified, nobody had been able to find her. When asked where she was, she couldn't answer, because she didn't know where she was. She couldn't remember. Niki was now sure that em style="box-sizing: border-box;"she /emwas the one attacking people. But she was also sure that it wasn't her fault. Niki knew that it was Tom who was making her do it. And so, she flushed the book down the toilet./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, Harry said he just found out something really important and we need to meet in the Common Room now." Hermione said, tapping Niki on the back. "Are you okay?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I'm fine." Niki said, sitting up. "I'm coming."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki and Hermione walked down the stairs into the empty common room, where Harry and Ron were sitting. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Okay, what's this about?" Niki asked. Harry held up Tom's diary./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I found a diary like yours, Niki, except it's not a spell. There's actually someone in there." he started explaining all about what Tom had shown him. "It was Hagrid who opened the Chamber of Secrets last time. And it might be him this time. We've got to talk to him." he finished./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Um, we don't have to talk to Hagrid." Niki said. Everyone looked at her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why the bloody-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Ron!" Hermione said sharply. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""not?" Ron finished. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Because it's not him!" Niki exclaimed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""How do you know that?" Harry asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""It's just not!" Niki said, and stormed back up to the dormitory. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Later that night, Niki snuck into the boy's dorms and stole the diary back./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Over the next few weeks, Niki started withdrawing from everyone, especially after Hermione was attacked. She would sit for hours, just staring into the fire. She didn't turn in her homework, and didn't concentrate in class. Her grades were suffering immensely. Every time someone tried to talk to her in the evenings, she would immediately go up to bed. She could tell Harry and Ron were worried about her, but still wouldn't talk to them. One night, she decided to go for a walk, and suddenly felt her mind slipping out of her control./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"So, as you can see, I'm moving pretty quickly through this one, because I have big plans for number 3 and want to get there. So, I'm sorry that this one sucks, but it'll be worth it once we get to three. The next chapter will probably be in the Chamber, so stay tuned!/strong/p 


	11. Chapter 11

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"When Niki was next aware of herself, she was lying in a wet and dark place. She felt em style="box-sizing: border-box;"exhausted, /emas if something was draining her energy. The longer she layed there, the more tired she became. Forcing herself to sit up, Niki also became aware that she was not alone. There was a young, handsome teenage boy standing over her, a look of distaste on his face./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""So this is the great Nicole Potter." he said. "I was disappointed that you couldn't bring Harry along with you, but I suppose that he'll come soon."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What?" Niki asked. "Who are you?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I am your little friend, Nicole." the boy said. "The voice in your diary. And now, I'll be your undoing." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You're Tom?" Niki asked, scooting away. "You made me attack all my friends! Everyone thinks it's Harry!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, yes, that incident with Parseltounge that you told me all about." Tom said, smirking. "Yes, Harry made quite a cover story." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki glared at him. "Why are you doing this? What do Harry and I have to do with you?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""That is nothing of major concern." Tom said smoothly. "Haven't you felt it? Aren't you just so em style="box-sizing: border-box;"tired?" /em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""How do you know that?" Niki asked, fear starting to creep into her voice./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Haven't you noticed how I become clearer? Less like a ghost?" Tom asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Are you draining my energy?" Niki asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, yes. Once you no longer have life, I will." Tom sneered at her. "Although, you did do a lot of the energy draining yourself. It would have saved us both so much time and energy if you hadn't struggled so much." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Harry will come." Niki said, glaring up at Tom. "Harry will come and stop you."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""But you'll be dead by the time that happens." Tom sneered. Niki knew he was probably right. She felt herself being drained of her energy faster now. And then she passed out. /p 


	12. Chapter 12

div id="c_zone_201612150116006243" class="chapterItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;" data-container-type="zone"  
div id="view_201612150116006243" class="viewChapterText hide2" style="box-sizing: border-box;"  
div class="clear chapterText richcontent" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #dadada; margin-bottom: 20px;"  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""Have you seen Niki?" Harry asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""No." Ron shrugged. "I bet she's at dinner."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"Harry followed Ron down to the Great Hall. Just as they were taking their seats, McGonagall ran into the Hall./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""All students go to their dormitories imediately!" she shouted. "All teachers to the staff room!" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"Harry and Ron looked at each other./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""To the staff room." they said at the same time, and ran up the stairs. They made it into a wardrobe just as the teachers entered./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""What is it, Minerva?" Professor Sprout asked. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""This is the end of Hogwarts." McGonagall said gravely. "A student has been taken into the chamber itself. We shall have to close the school." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"The teachers looked at each other gravely, until finally Snape spoke. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""Which student, Minerva?" he asked. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"McGonagall looked at him with a sad look on his face./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;""Nicole Potter." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"Harry sank to the floor of the wardrobe in horror. /p  
/div  
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/div 


	13. Chapter 13

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"As you may have noticed, I'm skipping the actual battle in the Chamber. That happens pretty much the same as it does in CoS. /strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki next felt conscious of herself on a very soft surface. She forced her eyes open and sat up. Of course. She was in the Hospital Wing. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"As she looked around, someone slammed into her, pulling her into a very tight hug. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I thought you were dead!" Harry whisper-shouted. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why?" Niki asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You've been unconscious for days!" Hermione responded./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, you were like stone for months." Niki replied, grinning at her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""This isn't a joke Niki!" Hermione said shrilly. "The first few days, Madam Pomfrey said that you were dead for sure! Your heart even stopped a few times!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki frowned. "Oh." she thought for a moment. "So I was dead."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry was still hugging her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""If you want me to live, Harry, you'll have to stop strangling me." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry let go of her and backed up. "So tell us what happened."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki explained everything. She said how she found the diary in her pocket after leaving the Malfoy's, and how it had talked to her. She told them how she confided everything in this diary, things she didn't even feel comfortable telling Harry. She said how she couldn't remember where she'd been for hours at a time. How she found herself covered in red paint after Mrs. Norris was attacked. She told them how she figured out that it was her who was attacking people, and how she tried to flush the diary down the toilet, and how she stole it back when she realized that Harry had it. She told them what happened in the Chamber./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What I don't get," Niki said, "Is why Tom wanted us dead so bad."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, we found out he was You-Know-Who." Ron informed her. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh." Niki frowned again. "I told all my secrets that I didn't even want you guys to know to Voldemort. That's a comforting thought." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The four friends laughed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, Dumbledore cancelled exams." Harry said. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""What?" Niki shrieked. "I studied so hard for those!" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""And Snape is really mad at you." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Because you failed in his class so many times." Harry replied./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, I had a lot on my mind." Niki said in her most dignified voice./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, I know." Harry grinned. "It's good to have you back to yourself, Niki."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki smiled. "It's good to be back to myself." /p 


	14. Chapter 14

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well, we're going home." Hermione said, as the group walked down to Hogsmeade Station./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yep." Niki agreed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""So, Niki..." Harry started. "You do know that Moony and Padfoot are gonna want to know everything that happened?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""They're gonna be so mad at me." Niki groaned. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Why would they be mad?" Ron asked. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Because I was pretty stupid." Niki explained. "Your dad always said, 'Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""He does say that." Ron agreed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The quartet handed their luggage to a conductor and boarded the train./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Do you think that this summer'll be calmer than the last one?" Niki asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Not a chance." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki laughed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"-/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"This one was quite a bit shorter than the last one, but as I've said before, I was moving quite a bit faster. Keep an eye out for my next book! Not sure what it'll be called yet, but I'll edit this to tell you once I know!/strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"-/strong/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 10px;"Edit: The sequel to this one will be called "The Traitor" but it's not up yet! Good news: It's snowing, so I should have some time to start that one today! /strong/p 


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